Win or lose, the Packers’ young guns are going out in a blaze of glory

Don’t confuse the Packers’ youth for weakness. The Green Bay Packers are a confident team that is ready for any obstacle.

Minnesota Vikings Hall of Fame defensive tackle John Randle had one of the most quotable NFL Films sound bites of all time when he yelled, “Regulators, mount up!” quoting Emilio Estevez’s Billy the Kid.

Funny enough, though, it is the hated Green Bay Packers who are the NFL’s young guns, and their sharp-shooting quarterback has them within one more shootout of getting to the NFC Championship Game.

With an average of 25.7 years of age, the Packers have the youngest roster in the NFL, but that hasn’t fazed them in the slightest. Since Week 12, their offense is second in the league in EPA per play, trailing only the San Francisco 49ers. They are also third in success rate in that time frame, and their young leader has emerged as one of the best gunslingers in the NFL.

In the final seven weeks of the season, Jordan Love was second in the NFL in EPA per dropback, and he led the NFL in CPOE. Love also finished sixth in the NFL in DYAR and DVOA (min. 200 attempts). The Utah State product has been one of the best deep ball passers this year as well, finishing fifth in deep-ball completions and third in yards off deep balls.

Love’s emergence as one of the most complete passers in the game has been the silver bullet in the revolver for the Packers’ group of youthful playmakers. Jayden Reed caught 64 passes and eight touchdowns. Romeo Doubs matched Reed’s eight touchdown catches. Dontayvion Wicks had north of 500 yards. Both Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave became vital parts of the intermediate passing game as well, averaging over 10 yards per catch apiece. And don’t forget about Christian Watson, who missed time with injury but averaged 15 yards per reception in the nine regular-season games he played. Every one of the Packers’ top six receivers is a rookie or in his second season — that is unheard of in terms of a team that just won a playoff game. This isn’t a group that has shaky hands when it comes time to pull the trigger; this is a motley crew of young, confident desperados who just kicked in the doors of the corral, took what they wanted and knew that there was nothing their opponents could do about it.

Now the Packers are reaching the climax of their cinematic season. They face an absolute wagon of a 49ers team that will look to exploit their 27th-ranked defense in terms of DVOA. The Packers defense hasn’t been good when it comes to early-down pass defense, and the 49ers lead the NFL in empty formations on first down, doing so 6 percent of the time. Green Bay’s defense was 26th in yards allowed per drive; the 49ers’ offense led the NFL in yards per drive.

San Francisco will look to kill the Packers with a thousand cuts. Green Bay’s defense played phenomenally against Dallas in the wild-card round, but there is a large difference between playing a Mike McCarthy offense and a Kyle Shanahan offense. The 49ers painted those end zones red, they’re going to be well rested, and they will be out to make an example of Brown County Regulators.

Metaphorically, the Packers are already pinned down and surrounded, ready to make their final stand with all odds against them. That said, this team has shown all season that they aren’t afraid of the moment. They aren’t afraid of the 49ers riding in on their white steeds ready to hold down their fort. Will they come out victorious? No one seems to like their odds. But win or lose, this iteration of the Green Bay Packers, and the young guns who lead them, are going down swinging, guns up in a blaze of glory.

WR Romeo Doubs ‘was on one’ in Packers upset win over Cowboys

Matt LaFleur after Romeo Doubs produced 151 receiving yards vs. Cowboys: “Rome, he was on one tonight.”

Each week, there seems to be a new Green Bay Packers wide receiver who steps up, and in their upset win over the Dallas Cowboys, it was Romeo Doubs’ turn to get in on the action.

Doubs put together a career day, catching six passes on six targets for 151 yards and a score. This included several explosive plays as well, with a long of 46 yards and another that went for 39 yards.

Good protection from the Packers’ offensive line allowed some of those longer developing routes to take place, with Doubs finding success over the middle and in the soft spots of the Cowboys’ zone coverage.

“It was awesome,” said Jordan Love of Doubs’ performance. “Just how locked in Rome was this whole week. Obviously, showing with the performance he put on. We needed him and he stepped up huge. He was able to put some really good routes on tape and made some huge explosive plays. The last catch he had was awesome.

“Proud of Romeo and the way he’s continued to battle. He probably hasn’t had as many balls come his way as he’s wanted to, but he continues to work and find ways to get better. He made some plays tonight.”

The Packers went 16 weeks without a pass catcher eclipsing the 100-yard mark but have now done so in three straight games by three different receivers. Bo Melton did it first against the Minnesota Vikings and Jayden Reed the week after against the Chicago Bears.

This goes to show one of the strengths of this Packers offense. While there may not be a true No. 1 target, there are six legitimate receivers that opposing defenses have to worry about on any given play, not to mention Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave at tight end.

Instead of being able to key in on one or even two players, defenses have to defend the entire field because the ball could literally go anywhere. Jordan Love has no biases–the ball goes where the read and defense dictate, and that’s it. Having this element then creates more spacing as well as opportunities in the passing game.

“Defenses have to pick and choose,” said Matt LaFleur post game. “If you cover one guy then it opens up the other guy. I just think the depth that we have, I don’t know if I’ve been around a team that can go with six, seven different guys.”

In addition to Doubs’ performance, Musgrave and Dontayvion Wicks both had touchdown catches and combined for 77 yards, along with eight different players having at least one target.

However, perhaps the best example of just how well-rounded the Packers are at their skill positions is that the offense put up 41 points and looked nearly unstoppable for much of the game and did so with Reed and Christian Watson combining for just one reception for nine yards.

With the emergence of Reed and Wicks over the second half of the season, Doubs’ contributions can fly under the radar. But throughout the entire season, he has provided stability at the receiver position for the Packers.

Doubs has started in all 18 games and has been a safety net, as offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich put it, for Love in crucial situations. Doubs finished the regular season catching 19-of-30 targets on third or fourth down, with 15 of those receptions moving the chains. He was also 6-of-9 with six touchdowns when targeted inside the 10-yard line.

“Rome, he goes about his business,” added LaFleur. “He does a great job, and it’s fun to coach a guy like that. He brings so much to our team.”

This was a Cowboys defense that entered the game ranked first in pressure rate, according to TruMedia, had allowed just 18.5 points per game, and was top 10 in takeaways with an aggressive, ball-hawking secondary. However, watching Doubs’ performance, along with the rest of the offense, you wouldn’t have known that watching Sunday’s game unfold.

“Rome, he was on one tonight,” said LaFleur. “You could see it. He’s got great hands. He’s got an unbelievable mindset. It was really cool to see that come to fruition.”

Packers WR Romeo Doubs produces career-high 151 receiving yards in playoff win over Cowboys

Romeo Doubs had the game of his life, helping the Packers beat the Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card Round.

Green Bay Packers receiver Romeo Doubs produced four catches of 20 or more yards, a career-high 151 receiving yards and the final touchdown of Sunday’s 48-32 win over the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.

Jordan Love and Doubs connected on a 22-yard completion on the first touchdown drive, a 26-yard completion on 3rd-and-9, a 15-yard completion on the second touchdown drive, a 39-yard completion on the Packers third touchdown drive, a 46-yard completion on the first touchdown drive of the second half and a 3-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

“Rome, he was on one tonight,” coach Matt LaFleur said.

The Packers scored six offensive touchdowns. Doubs had a catch on five of the six scoring drives.

Doubs caught all six of his targets and averaged 25.2 yards per catch. His touchdown put the Packers up 48-16 in the fourth quarter.

Doubs’ 151 receiving yards rank third in team playoff history, behind only Davante Adams (160, 2019) and Jermichael Finley (159, 2009).

His previous season high and career high was 95 yards (Week 4, vs. DET). Dating back to college, Doubs’ 151 receiving yards on Sunday represent his most since producing 159 against Air Force while at Nevada in 2021.

According to Next Gen Stats, Doubs produced 58 yards after the catch, including five or more yards on three of his catches over 20 yards.

Doubs became the third different Packers receiver to produce 100 or more receiving yards in the last three weeks. Bo Melton went over 100 in Week 17 vs. the Minnesota Vikings and Jayden Reed went over 100 in Week 18 vs. the Chicago Bears.

Doubs’ 151 receiving yards is the most by a Packers receiver since Adams produced 206 in a win over the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021.

The performance didn’t come as a surprise to the quarterback.

“It was awesome, just how locked in Rome was this whole week,” Love said post-game.

Doubs and the Packers will go to San Francisco to play the 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round next weekend.

Packers consider WR Romeo Doubs day to day with chest injury

Packers WR Romeo Doubs was evaluated at a hospital after suffering a chest injury vs. the Bears. He is considered day to day.

Green Bay Packers receiver Romeo Doubs was evaluated at a local hospital after suffering a chest injury during Sunday’s 17-9 win over the Chicago Bears and is now considered day to day as Matt LaFleur’s team enters prep for the wildcard round of the playoffs.

“It seems to be he’s doing better, but he’ll be day to day, I’d say,” LaFleur said Monday.

LaFleur said Doubs was back from the hospital and in the locker room for the post-game celebration.

Doubs was injured on a failed catch attempt on the Packers’ first drive of the game Sunday. He attempted to return to the game but eventually left for good and was later evaluated back in the locker room.

Doubs’ second NFL season finished with 59 catches for 674 yards and eight touchdowns.

Even without Doubs and Christian Watson for most of the contest Sunday, quarterback Jordan Love still completed 27 of 32 passes for 316 yards and two touchdown passes. The Packers gained 432 yards on offense and didn’t punt over seven possessions.

The Packers will go into their playoff showdown with the Dallas Cowboys not knowing the playing status of Doubs or Watson, who are both injured. The team will put out their first injury report on Wednesday.

Jordan Love might lead the Packers to the promised land sooner than you think

Packers quarterback Jordan Love has been as good as any QB in the second half of the season. Here’s one play that proves it.

If the Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday, quarterback Jordan Love will have done something that Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, his predecessors at his position, were unable to do — lead his team to the postseason in his first full year as a starter. The 1992 Packers just missed the boat at 9-7, and the 2008 Packers were 6-10. The 2023 Packers, who currently stand at 8-8, are on the precipice, and they’re on the precipice with a young group of receivers who are still figuring it out for the most part.

One thing we know — in the second half of the 2023 season, Love has been as good as any quarterback in the league. Since Week 9, Love has completed 210 of 313 passes (67.1%) for 2,350 yards (7.5 YPA), 19 touchdowns, three interceptions, and a passer rating of 105.5. Love has also completed 22 of 44 passes of 20 or more air yards for 665 yards, seven touchdowns, one interceptions, and a passer rating of 125.9. So, he’s not only one of the league’s best passers overall; he’s also one of the best aggressive passers, and that can take you a long way if you get into the tournament. 

Let’s get into one play in the Packers’ 33-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday night. Love completed 24 of 33 passes for 256 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 125.3, and he did that against a Vikings defense under Brian Flores who will throw the entire kitchen at you schematically — they just start with the sink, and move on from there. Love’s first touchdown pass, a 33-yarder to rookie receiver Jayden Reed, showed how well Love can deal in the face of just about anything right now.

With 5:15 left in the first quarter, the Packers went four verts on second-and-10 from the Minnesota 33-yard line. Minnesota showed a single-high safety look pre-snap,  but as the Vikings have played the NFL’s highest rates of Cover-0 (11.5%) and Cover-2 (27.5%), Love probably had a pretty good feeling that the middle of the field would be open eventually. It was, but as is often the case with Flores’ defenses, it was in ways you might not expect. The Vikings went with inverted Cover-2 to the boundary with cornerback Mekhi Blackmon dropping to two-deep, and linebacker Jordan Hicks as the middle hole defender.

Love also had to deal with pressure here, as defensive tackle Harrison Phillips pushed center Josh Myers into the pocket. Love made a little hop out of the pressure, righted his body, and made the throw with ideal accuracy and velocity.

“Yeah, they kind of disguised it, went to a cover-two-ish coverage and we had four verts on, and I knew I was going to have J-Reed right there,” Love said after the game. “Kind of didn’t see him at first where he was at, and then he came into my vision, so just let it out there, let him go get it. It was an awesome play.”

Postgame, head coach Matt LaFleur couldn’t wait to talk about his quarterback.

“I can’t say enough great things about him. Just his ability to hang in there versus some tough looks, drifting away from pressure, putting the ball in play, allowing his guys to go make plays. I think he is playing at an incredibly high level. I’m super happy for him because he’s put in a ton of work to get to this point, and I really think the sky’s the limit for him. I think he’s just showing a glimpse of what he can ultimately be, and he’s been more consistent as the season has progressed with a young group around him.”

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into how much Love has progressed as a passer this season.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Packers’ Romeo Doubs provides reliability at WR throughout 2023 season

Romeo Doubs has been the one constant for the Packers at wide receiver during the 2023 season.

As the Green Bay Packers deal with injuries at the receiver position and have different players in and out of the lineup, second year wide receiver Romeo Doubs has provided Jordan Love with stability at the position and been a go-to target in key situations.

Over the last month in particular, the Packers have been without Christian Watson for all four games. At various points, they’ve also not had Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed.

However, Doubs has been available in all 16 games up to this point in the season and has played 80 percent of Green Bay’s offensive snaps. Out of all receivers, Doubs ranks 18th in total snaps played this season.

“I think Rome’s been very consistent,” said Matt LaFleur. “Obviously, he’s made a lot of big time plays for us, and in particular, it’s happen to come out this way down in the red area. You can always count on him to go out there and when given the opportunity he’s made some big plays for us this year.

“I think he’s really grown, I would say over the course of the last two seasons, just in terms of being so consistent and so reliable. That’s a great comfort for our offense, for our football team, for Jordan. Knowing that he can always count on Rome to go out there and get the job done.”

Doubs leads this Packers team in targets with 92, and up until Reed’s Sunday night performance in Minnesota, he also led the Packers’ offense in receptions and receiving yards. He’s also tied with Reed for the team lead with eight touchdowns, and that figure is good for the seventh-most at the receiver position in football.

In addition to being available every week, Doubs has provided Love with a safety net in key situations. In recent weeks, Doubs caught the go-ahead touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers in the final minutes.

On a fourth-and-one in the second half against Kansas City with the Chiefs down just two, Love connected with Doubs for 33 yards, putting Green Bay at the 11 yard line and setting up a touchdown. Then versus Carolina, Doubs 36 yard pass on third down, which several plays later resulted in the go-ahead field goal.

On third and fourth downs this season, Doubs has caught 19-of-30 passes with 15 of those receptions going for a first down. He’s also had five touchdowns as well. Inside the opponent’s 10 yard line, Doubs has caught 6-of-9 passes with all 6 catches going for scores. Overall, in the red zone, Doubs has nine receptions, eight first downs, and seven touchdowns.

“Romeo is a guy that has come up clutch for us in so many situations this year,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich. “Not only down in the red zone, but third downs—some big catches, some contested catches. He’s such a safety net for Jordan in those situations when you can go to a guy like that.

“His consistency of being out there and playing hard. He’s developing into one of those guys where he can develop into an every down wideout. It’s fun to watch him develop.”

Watson brings a presence to this offense with his size and speed that no one else does. Wicks and Reed have emerged as playmaking threats, Wicks with his route running ability and Reed with his shiftiness. Not to mention we’ve seen Bo Melton and Malik Heath come up in big moments as well. Where Doubs stands in that pecking order week-to-week isn’t always clear, but on this version of the Green Bay Packers, it doesn’t matter a whole lot either.

One of several things that this offense has going for it right now is that one any given play, Love could go to four or five different players with the ball—and that’s dependent on how the defense is defending Green Bay and what Love’s reads are. The fact that Melton was the first Packers receiver this season to eclipse 100 yards in a game perfectly encapsulates this.

When a defense can’t key in on one or even two players, it’s an added stressor for them and forces the defense to defend the entire field, thus spacing the defenders out and creating opportunities in the passing game that Love has been very good at taking advantage of.

With the emergence of several different pass catchers all at various points throughout the season, Doubs, at times, can fly under the radar. But as Love has navigated his first season as a starting quarterback, throughout the ups and downs, Doubs has been there to lean on—both from an availability standpoint and also in key situations.

“It’s huge,” said Love of Doubs’ reliability. “Obviously with guys going down, not everybody being healthy this week, that’s when you need other guys to step up. Obviously, Rome knew that going into it and he did what he’s been doing all year, making plays. I think his confidence right now too, the way he’s playing is playing all into that, but it helps a lot to have him out there making those plays.”

Vikings vs. Packers: 4 defensive keys for week 17

It’s do or die time for the Vikings. Minnesota’s defense has to follow these four keys if they want to win on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

This is their last chance.

The Minnesota Vikings get one more chance to salvage their playoff chances as they face the Green Bay Packers in U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday Night Football at 7:20 p.m. CST. 

Minnesota has a chance to atone for dropping the past two with a good performance against a surging Green Bay team. 

After starting 3-6 this season, the Packers have found a way back into the playoff conversation, and it’s been behind the play of their offense. 

Since their meeting in week eight, Green Bay’s offense has been fourth in EPA/play, sixth in success rate, third in EPA/dropback and tenth in EPA/rush. Jordan Love has come into his own as a passer. He’s sixth in Adjusted net yards per pass attempt, second in passing yards (2095) and third in passing touchdowns (16) in that span.

On the other hand, Minnesota has been in a bit of a slump after their improbable 3-0 win against the Raiders at the beginning of the month. In the last two weeks, they have allowed 57 points, more than the four games before them combined. They’ve allowed the fourth-most EPA/play and are third-worst in success rate.

This defense must follow these four keys to success to get back on track and keep their playoff hopes alive.

Fantasy football waiver wire: Week 17 free-agent forecast

Check out the top waiver wire targets in fantasy football for Week 17.

The majority of fantasy football leagues come to an end this week. It has been a long and grueling process to the point, and most of us have been left with disappointment with championship week upon us.

However, there are still plenty of vital matchups taking place, and the waiver wire should be a busy marketplace in Week 17 after the events that unfolded on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Before we get to it, I’d like to thank you for sticking with us all season. We wouldn’t be here without the readers, and even though the suggestions haven’t always worked out, we’re appreciative of the time you’ve spent with us this season.

We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in Yahoo leagues, using the 75% rostered mark as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on X, formerly Twitter, (@KevinHickey11). Your questions and comments are always welcome!

Because it’s Week 17, there is no need for stashing players so we’ll only look at the top streaming options for the upcoming week along with the top waiver adds.

Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated.

Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.

Adam Thielen on controversial Romeo Doubs catch: ‘It’s what you get when you play the Packers’

Panthers WR Adam Thielen on the official ruling of Romeo Doubs’ controversial catch: “Kind of what you get when you play the Packers.”

The expiring game clock wasn’t the only controversial ruling from the officials in this afternoon’s matchup between the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers.

Sunday’s 33-30 win for the visitors was propped up by a clutch fourth-quarter catch from wideout Romeo Doubs, a 36-yarder that pushed Green Bay down to Carolina’s 33-yard line. But it wasn’t clear, at least initially, that Doubs completed the process of the grab.

The Panthers ended up challenging the reception, only to be denied by the official review. But Carolina receiver Adam Thielen, who was positioned right in front of the play, thought otherwise.

“Yeah, I saw the whole play,” the 33-year-old veteran told reporters after the game. “I saw a catch, and then ball moving as he’s going to the ground. Ball moves, controls it again, hits the ground and then loses it again. So, in my opinion, the ball moved twice at two different times. So there really wasn’t enough time to control the ball.”

Nonetheless, the referees believed Doubs did control the rock—which set up the eventual game-winning field goal by kicker Anders Carlson. And Thielen, who’s seen Green Bay plenty of times during his long NFL career, knows how it goes.

“Kind of what you get when you play the Packers.”

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Fantasy football waiver wire: Week 15 free-agent forecast

Check out the top waiver wire targets for Week 15.

Only two more games Monday night stand before the start of the playoffs in the majority of fantasy football leagues, and the waiver wire will be a busy marketplace entering Week 15.

There were a multitude of injuries to the running back position to keep an eye on moving forward. Players such as Josh Jacobs, Alexander Mattison, Brian Robinson Jr. and Isiah Pacheco — to name a few — all have injury question marks.

The bye weeks also are finally over, so it will be just good old-fashioned fantasy football. With trade deadlines concluded in the majority of leagues as well, the waiver wire becomes the most vital tool for fantasy managers over the three weeks.

We’re also getting to the point of the season in which stashing FAAB isn’t as crucial. Don’t be afraid to spend a bit more on a player who might give your team an edge down the stretch.

We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in Yahoo leagues, using the 75% rostered mark as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on X, formerly Twitter, (@KevinHickey11). Your questions and comments are always welcome!

We also will be taking a look at some deeper players to stash and the top streaming options for the upcoming week.

Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated.

Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.